Data: the golden thread of military defence
Published on January 3, 2024
Militaries have long depended on information. Tactical, operational and strategic intelligence is vital to warfare. And there has long been a close relationship between defence and technology. Military innovations during the Second World War – from cracking the German Enigma codes to naval gunnery – drove the developments of the earliest computers.
Defence is undeniably complex. It uses a vast range of equipment and materiel (equipment and supplies of military forces), and the defence sector is a large employer. If anything, the post-Cold War defence landscape is more complex than ever, with the use of reservists, civilian contractors and industry to create what the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) calls the “whole force” concept.